Each year, we offer the following advise to our customers with regard to Halloween costume ideas: “Start at the Top”. Whether you are looking for an authentic cowboy hat to complete your western gunslinger getup, a sleek pork pie hat to channel your inner ‘Heisenberg’ (of the television show Breaking Bad) or whatever fantastic idea you conceive, the right hat can make your costume a riotous success. With that in mind, trick-or-treat yourself to our Top 7 Hats for Halloween:

A favorite of jazz musicians, actors and hipsters alike, the Pork Pie hat starts us off at number seven. Since the 1920’s, the pork pie has become a benchmark in hat fashion. Buster Keaton would make his own for his films. Actor Bryan Cranston, put one on his head and underwent a Jekyll and Hyde transformation from Walter White into the menacing Heisenberg in AMC’s Breaking Bad. My personal favorite? Detective Popeye Doyle of The French Connection – a man on a mission. Wherever you may find your inspiration, the pork pie hat is a great way to turn up the drama.

A versatile style for both men and women, the Turban comes in at number six on our Top 7 list of Hats for Halloween. Soft and extremely comfortable, these cool, breathable headpieces can easily work in your favor as you dress up for the holiday. One of many costume inspirations comes from Disney’s animated musical fantasy film, Aladdin. Set in the desert of the Middle East, characters such as Sultan and Jafar are featured prominently in the turban. Looking to spice things up? Attach some artificial fruit to your turban and samba across the town as Carmen Miranda. Become an 8-bit hero as video game character Great Tiger of Nintendo’s Punch-Out. Go Big as the fortune-telling Zoltar. “Mecca lecca hi, mecca hiney ho!” and in an instant you are Jambi the Genie of Pee Wee’s Playhouse, the life of the party.

At number five, we come to The Bowler or Derby Hat. You may recognize this style from television shows like Boardwalk Empire (often worn by character Mickey Doyle) or films like A Clockwork Orange (The Droogs) and Goldfinger (007’s nemesis, Odd Job, weaponized his bowler hat). Comedy duo Laurel and Hardy were particularly fond of this style. While fantastic in its raw form, if you were to decorate the bowler you’d have the potential making of multiple costumes – add a question mark and be transformed in the enigmatic Batman villan, The Riddler. The bowler hat has limitless possibility as a costume piece with the added bonus of its easy transition into a stylish Fall fashion accessory. Go from an evening as Charlie Chaplin to a casually dapper gentlemen in the workplace, pairing your new hat with a sweater and jeans.

Coming in at number four is a hat of international intrigue – the fez. With complicated roots in the Ottoman Empire, the fez has been adopted by many cultures throughout history. Today, it is associated with several beloved characters of television and film. Always a conversational piece, the fez is a great place to start with your Halloween costume. Prominent fez-wearing people/characters include Aladdin, the aforementioned Doctor Who (The Eleventh Doctor as portrayed by Matt Smith), Mustafa (Austin Powers), Morocco Mole (Secret Squirrel), Signor Ferrari (Casablanca), Akbar & Jeff (Life is Hell), and those loveable go-kart drivin’ shriners.

It seems that every child has wanted to be a cowboy or cowgirl for Halloween. Why not carry that into adulthood? John Wayne aka The Duke knew that western hats were not child’s play. Adorned by a fair share of heroes and villains, the cowboy hat is great for Halloween. Characters such as Rick Grimes of AMC’s The Walking Dead, Boss Hogg of The Dukes of Hazzard, Quentin Tarantino’s Django (I love the styling of the Django Western Hat), and Woody and Jessie of Pixar’s Toy Story are all great places to go for costume inspiration. Modern tales of the Wild West as well as films like The Lone Ranger and Urban Cowboy have helped to keep western hats in the spotlight. Looking to go slightly obscure? Try Lawrence Fishburne’s Cowboy Curtis of Pee-Wee’s Playhouse. (I know… I’ve already mentioned Jambi the Genie, but grab a friend and go as an ensemble.)

Well deserving of our #2 spot is the iconic Top Hat. In looking back though our history, it becomes apparent that the top hat has certainly held its own. Since the end of the 18th century, it has found its way atop many influential and famous heads. “Be excellent” and “party on” as our 16th US President, Abraham Lincoln. Strap a belt on your top hat and let it take you down to the Paradise City as iconic guitarist Slash of Guns N’ Roses. Dazzle the crowds by pulling a rabbit from your top hat as a Magician. Mix a top hat with love and make the world taste good as Willy Wonka. The possibilities are endless, as is the fun to be had.

“I had an Indiana Jones fedora that I loved. I don’t know what happened to it. I don’t know where it went. Wish I had it back.” – Nathan Fillion

At number one, we have the most versatile style on our list – the king of hats aka the fedora. The unmistakable styling of the fedora hat can easily bring about metamorphosis – from the king of pop, Michael Jackson to a globe-trotting adventurer, Indiana Jones. Hide in plain sight as the thieving villain, Carmen Sandiego. Charm the ladies as Madison Avenue ad man, Don Draper. Looking to highlight the horrors of Halloween? Pop on a brown fedora and corporealize the nightmarish character Freddy Krueger of the Nightmare on Elm Street film franchise. There are hundreds of fantastic costumes that can be made with the addition of a fedora, so this year “start at the top”.

Honorable Mention:

When compiling list of these sorts, it is difficult to limit ourselves to just seven hat styles. But, those are the breaks and so we bend the rules by creating a smaller list of what we think are hats that deserve an honorable mention. Those looking for inspiration beyond the hats listed above may enjoy the following suggestions:

About the author

Nicholas Constantino is the CIO and Marketing Director for Village Hat Shop, a leading online retailer of head wear and fashion accessories. Demonstrating great versatility by assuming dual roles with the company, Nicholas likes to flex his chops through the areas of product development, e-marketing, graphic design, as well as web programming and development. Currently living in San Diego, California, you can find him on Google+ and Twitter. He loves all things pizza related.